5 Apr
2013
5 Apr
'13
12:34 a.m.
On Wed, Apr 03, 2013, Janet Bertog wrote:
Some people are uncomfortable being forced to flirt with a person of the
same sex. Some people are not uncomfortable. Those people who are not
uncomfortable are free to dance with same sex partners if they choose, but
it is their choice. Forcing people into a situation where they are
uncomfortable makes them stressed and unhappy, which can translate to the
people around them and increase the overall general stress of the room. If
you are in a gender-free dance then the assumption is that you will be
dancing with whoever, but most dances are not gender free.
You likely don't intend it, but I'm getting a homophobic perception from
this, and I think it's especially unfortunate in a thread that started
by asking about the Queer Contra Dance Camp. Doing a gypsy with a
same-sex partner isn't "forced to flirt". Even a swing isn't
"forced to
flirt", particularly if people are taught a two-handed swing.
My impression is that most urban contra environments have at least a few
people who swap genders, so most dancers will encounter same-sex
partners, anyway. Why not provide some structured interaction to
increase familiarity?
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